The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-03-04
The Forty-Nir ii Congress.

The record of the Forty ninth Con-
gress, instead of being a bad one, is,
considering the facts that its two
branches are not in political harmony,
an especially good one. 1t was left by
the remissness of its predecessors so
much reform work to do, that it could
not possibly get successfully through
with il all. A large share has, how
ever, been accomplished, as will fully
appear from the following resume of
its principal achievements as collated
by the New York Herald:
"At its first session it passed-first, a
Presidential succession law; second, a
law relieving the merchant marine OF
a number of vexatious and useless
burdens; third, law for new Con
gressional library; fourth, a law reduc-
ing the fee on postal money orders;
fifth, several laws forfelting unearned
land grants, and restoring in all about
fifty million acres of land to the pub
lie domain; sixth, the silver certificate
law; seventh, an appropriation for new
ships, and, at the present session,
eighth, the electoral count law; ninth,
the Interstate commerce law; tenth,
the law allotting lands in severalty to
Indians; eleventh, the anti-polygamy
law; twelfth, law exten ling the free
delivery system to cities of ten thou
sand inhabitants, and thirteenth, the
act of redeeming trade dollars. 1t is
probable that before it dissolves next
Friday several other. important meas
ures will be passed--as the joint reso-
luton for an inquiry into the Pacific
railroad accounts and the repeal OF the
Tenure of Office act"
The Democratic end of it was ready
for much more good work, particularly
in the line of laud reform, restricting
the growing power of corporations and
recovering the peaple's acres unlaw-
fully held by sundry railroad monopo-
lies, but was checkmated by the mill
ionaires and corporation attorneys OF
the Republican Senate. Here again
the Herald, this time through its
Washington correspondent, gives us a
list, which is both interesting and in.
structive, as follows:
First-These Senators have managed
to kill the bill for the repeal of the
Presumption Timber Culture and
Desert Land laws-laws which, while
they staOd, work against the honest
settler and in favor of corporations,
syndicates and land grabbers.
Second-The Senators have hung uE
and killed a House bill for the taxation
of railroad lands and to compel land
grant roads to take their patents.
Third-These Republican Senators
have, by delays and amendments, killed
the House bill forfeiting the unearned
land grant of the Northern Pacific rail
road
Fourth-They have hung up and
thus killed the House bill forfeitine
the land grant of the Gulf and Ship
Island corporation.
Fifth-They have killed, by adding
an improper and unjust amendment in
tended TO defeat it, the House bill for
| ieitiuS ooo,ooV acres VI Iue Oh'auoSoi
and Brule River grant.
Sixth-They have killed very ne
cessary House bill for the re-adjustmen
of railaoad land grants in Kansas ant
other States-this by substituting diff
ferent and wrong measure for th'
House bill.
When the account comes to be finall,
made up and balanced, it will be toun'
that the Forty-Ninth Congress, unde
the spur of Democratic Presiden
and Democratic House, has been frs
rate Congress, all things considered
and the chief reason for its not havini
been better is the existence of Re
publican majority in the Senate which
fortunately, is being rapidly wiped out